In Game 3 of their first-round series, A'ja Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces to a decisive 94-83 victory over the Indiana Fever. Wilson scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, overcoming earlier tension from an encounter with a Fever fan. Her performance secured the series win for the third-seeded Aces, who advance to face either Golden State or Dallas in the next round. The game featured intense physical play, with both teams accumulating technical fouls.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Game 3 of their decisive WNBA first-round playoff series on Thursday night, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the Indiana Fever with a score of 94-83. The game was played in Las Vegas and sealed the Aces' victory for the second year in a row over the Fever. A'ja Wilson, the four-time MVP, scored an impressive 36 points along with 10 rebounds to lead the Aces. Meanwhile, Indiana's star player Caitlin Clark struggled despite her determination, finishing with just 18 points and six turnovers. The win moves the third-seeded Aces on to face the winner of the Golden State-Dallas series in the semifinals, while ending a disappointing playoff run for the Fever.
Written for “WNBA Finals Game 3” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
A'ja Wilson, Aces send the Fever home again with a 94-83 win in Game 3
4-time league MVP scores 36 points, adds 10 rebounds in elimination game
A'ja Wilson made sure her basketball spoke for itself Thursday night.
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basketball → send → itself
The four-time WNBA MVP, who had a verbal encounter with a Fever fan in Indiana two nights earlier, scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the defending champion Las Vegas Aces to a 94-83 victory in the deciding Game 3 of the first round.
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who → have → round
"I have my moments because I'm human," Wilson said.
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Wilson → have → moments
"But after a while, I understood I didn't want that to be a distraction to myself and my team, and I knew what we had to do coming into tonight.
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we → understand → tonight
So I put it behind me.
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I → put → me
I prayed a lot.
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I → pray → ?
I cried a lot."
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I → cry → ?
The third-seeded Aces, who have won three of the past four titles, moved on to play the winner of the Golden State-Dallas series, which will be decided Friday night in San Francisco.
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which → win → Francisco
This is the second year in a row Las Vegas has ended the season for the Fever, who were seeded sixth.
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who → end → Fever
The teams met in the semifinals a year ago, with the Aces pulling out an overtime victory in the finale of the five-game series that Caitlin Clark missed because of injury.
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Clark → meet → injury
"We've got to give credit to the Aces," Clark said.
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Clark → get → Aces
"I thought they played well.
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they → think → ?
I thought they were ready to go.
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they → think → ?
That's what championship teams do."
Wilson book ended this series with sensational performances in Games 1 and 3, making her sure verbal confrontation with a Fever fan wouldn't be the enduring memory.
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confrontation → do → fan
The league did not punish Wilson, who opened the series with 38 points and 16 rebounds, followed up in this game by scoring 21 points in the first half and making 11 of 18 shots overall.
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who → punish → shots
Teammate Chelsea Gray added 23 points and Jackie Young had 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
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Young → add → points
Clark scored 11 points in the first quarter, but was held to seven the rest of the game.
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Clark → score → game
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 23 points but shot 7 for 23.
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Mitchell → lead → 23
Aliyah Boston had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
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Boston → have → points
Tensions ran high again Thursday, both teams bringing the physical play expected when each season is on the line in a game that had the intensity of a WNBA Finals.
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that → run → Finals
Clark and Las Vegas' Brianna Turner each picked up a technical foul just more than three minutes into Game 3.
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Clark → pick → 3
The Fever were huddling on the court when Turner worked her way into the group only to be shoved out by Clark.
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Turner → huddle → Clark
Early in the second quarter, Indiana coach Stephanie White was called for a technical, arguing that Turner brought down Lexie Hull, who instead picked up the foul.
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who → call → foul
Clark took a shot to her mouth in the fourth quarter and had to be attended to because of the blood.
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Clark → take → blood
The Aces threatened to run away from Indiana in the third quarter, taking a 67-55 before going cold over the final 4:32 and making just one shot.
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Aces → threaten → shot
The Fever twice cut their deficit to two points in the fourth to make Las Vegas sweat out the ending.
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Vegas → cut → ending
Aces forward Stephanie Talbot, who started all but one game this season, did not play because of a leg injury and was replaced by Jewell Loyd, who scored 11 points.
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who → start → points
Talbot averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in the first two games of this series.
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Talbot → average → series
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said she didn't know what Talbot's status would be going forward.
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status → say → ?
"She was a game-time decision," Hammon said.
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Hammon → say → ?
"I just told her, `You've got to do what's best for your body.'
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what → tell → body
Her assignment in this particular game is such a huge one if she's not at 100%, I need to see somebody at 100 per cent.
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I → need → cent
I know she was heartbroken she couldn't get out there and physically get it done."
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it → know → ?
The Aporia
